An Old Soul With New Manners: Mitsuoka Reworks the Viewt Story

Mitsuoka has refreshed the Viewt Story, its retro hatchback based on the Toyota Yaris. Rear camera is now standard, the 1.0-litre engine is gone, and pricing starts at 3,691,600 yen.

Mitsuoka has updated the Viewt Story — a retro compact built on the Toyota Yaris. The car keeps its round LED headlights, the signature heart-shaped grille and the look of the old Viewt, yet it has grown more modern in terms of equipment.

The main change is the dropping of the 1.0-litre engine version. At the same time the company reworked its range of colours and trims. A rear-view camera is now standard across every version. The HYBRID LX and 15LX grades get the Display Audio Plus system, while the HYBRID DX and 15DX make do with the regular Display Audio.

The HYBRID DX and HYBRID LX hybrid versions additionally gain an electric parking brake and an Auto Hold function. For a city car this matters more than it might seem: fewer unnecessary movements in traffic jams and at red lights.

The dimensions remain compact: length is 4,090 mm, width 1,695 mm and height 1,495 mm, rising to 1,510 mm on the 4WD and E-Four versions. In Japan the price starts at 3,691,600 yen (roughly 1.66 million roubles at the current exchange rate).

The Viewt first appeared back in 1993, and today's Story is the fourth generation of the line. Once again Mitsuoka is not selling speed or technology for technology's sake, but something rare in the mass market — a new car that deliberately looks like an object from another era.